5 January, 2016. 11:30
ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
A HOBART-based baggage handler has been suspended pending an investigation following allegations he took photographs of the contents of Chris Gayle’s kit bag.
A Representative from the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) has called the accusations “inflammatory” and “unfair” and has threatened strike action over the controversy.
This fresh controversy comes after the nation was stunned last year when the overconfident batsman asked a female “journalist” out for a drink after the game. The commentary team initially found this hilarious and a bit of fun – but their tune changed once their producer knocked on the door.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has called for a nationwide wide ban on all males asking women out for a drink while Pauline Hanson has lashed out at the broadcasters for promoting interracial relations.
“Asking a woman out on live television for a cheap laugh is just another example of how the patriarchal misogynistic supercalifragilisticexpialidocious cricket world is deluding young Australian men,” said Hanson-Young. “They need to know that it’s not OK to crack jokes about that kind of thing.”
While on the flip side, former mouthpiece for Australian racism and intollerance Pauline Hanson was more blunt with her analysis.
“I know what he was doing and it’s disgusting,” said the former small business owner. “If Warney pulled something like that, it’d be OK because he’s a knockabout Aussie lad with almost no common sense.”
The West Indian arrived in Hobart the day before yesterday ahead of their Big Bash clash with the Hobart Hurricanes.
Officials from the Melbourne Renegades have refused to comment on the situation, saying only that “it is a terrible invasion of privacy if the allegations prove to be true”.
The images, posted to Instagram before being quickly deleted, show what appears to be the 35-year-old’s protector box among other equipment.
Overnight the photo went viral on social media website Reddit, with some users posting inappropriate calculations of the batsman’s genital size and weight.
“The protector is roughly half a bat – or about three hand spans,” wrote Reddit user Damo996
“Using that as a yardstick (sorry for the pun), I’m willing to bet that Chris Gayle is packing something in the range of 16 to 19 inches,”
“From that original calculation, keeping in ‘murican [sic] measurement, I’m guessing his dick would weigh roughly three pounds – or a little over one and a half kilograms,” he wrote.
Website moderators quickly deleted the thread after a request was made by the International Cricket Council, which further adds to the authenticity of the images.
Should these images prove to be real, sports media analysts have suggested that Gayle may have outstretched basketballer Shaquille O’Neal as having the largest and heaviest member in professional sport.
O’Neal’s management has refused to comment on the unofficial record but have said they doubt the images authenticity.
In last year’s Cricket World Cup, Chris Gayle hit the first double century in World Cup history as the West Indies flogged Zimbabwe by 73 runs.
The left-hander smashed 215 off 147 balls, including 16 sixes and 10 fours, in West Indies’ 372-2 in Canberra.
With additional reporting from AAP
